The Blue Bottlecap Comes Off
by ashdash2417
Summary: There are things Dewey knows about his mother; she took the Spear of Selene, and had left Scrooge and Donald. He and Webby had kept this secret for so long. But how will his brothers feel that he's keeping something as important as knowledge about their mother from them? Takes place sometime in the future at a non-specific time.


**AN: Oh boy, here it is, everyone. The thing I've been working on for _weeks!_ And I gotta say, this is like the second time I've put _so much_ effort into writing my stories. Or maybe the third time... Ah well. * shrugs * But yeah, I've gotten myself into another fandom, and it's the 2017 DuckTales, and oh boy! I _cannot_ wait until the season finale! So angsty! So much drama! So much... Everything! And I really wanted to get this out before one of those episodes came out (that was shown on the panel not too long ago), as this would be my intake on how Huey and Louie would react after finding out Dewey's darkest secret (and no, not Dewey Dew-night). But anyways, enough of my rambling, let's get on with the story already! (And if you wanna favorite, follow, or review, that would be greatly appreciated! (Of course, it's not mandatory.)) :D**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own DuckTales 2017. Disney does.**

 ***xxx***

If there was one word to describe their relatively new life with Scrooge McDuck, the richest duck in Duckberg, or more likely, the entire world, it would be: full of surprises… Or three words to describe it. For twelve whole years, the triplets have assumed to be fated to live in the houseboat with Donald Duck for as long as they lived. For twelve years, they thought they were going to be stuck with the same routine: wake up, help Donald go to work, find ways to occupy themselves while he's gone for a whole day, Donald comes home, and they all go to bed. While they appreciate their uncle looking out for them, and keeping them fed, bathed, and sheltered, repeating the same thing over and over again can be dull and tiresome.

It was one day that changed everything. Their lives, their routine, even their outlook on life. After finding out that Scrooge is their great uncle, Donald's uncle, everything they've known about him has been flipped. Knowing that they're related to the richest duck ever, their now family and blood, surprised and shocked the boys at the same time.

The day Huey, Dewey, and Louie had found out about this revelation, via Donald, the latter had taken them to the mansion for what was initially a temporary stay, but is now a new, permanent home for all four of them. Ever since then, Scrooge had taken them all, including the triplets' newfound friend Webby, on various adventures, from the desert in the hot heat, to the highest mountain in the freezing, hand-numbing cold. From underwater, to the high sky in what could've been heaven. The lands were marked, treasures were found, and memories were made, and they cherished every bit of it.

However, as these adventures were being made, two of the four kids have discovered one of the greatest mysteries: Della Duck.

Not too long ago, Dewey and Webby have found a room dedicated to the boy duck's mother, including the Spear of Selene. They may have a lot of evidence, but they still have a lot more to find out about why the Spear of Selene was of great importance, why she took it, and why she left her brother and uncle. Where were they when this happened? Why did Della say she was sorry? Where did she go? Is she still alive somewhere?

They have no answers to these questions, but instead more artifacts and photos of where she'd been, and the people she, Donald, and Scrooge have encountered during their trips. Such items include the Golden Chicken, which rests in an average sized cage, a small jellybean which looks normal, but can actually take you six minutes back in time if eaten, and a wooly sheep that's more like a refrigerator, with its body giving out the chilling cold air.

All photos and papers regarding Della had been storaged in a folded file, which Dewey had insisted to be hidden in his room, where it can never be found.

Or so he thought.

Before everyone was ready to set off on yet another adventure, Huey was off to look for his blue-cladded brother, who disappeared after eating breakfast. The red-cladded duckling had been searching any place where Dewey could be, including his very own bedroom.

"Dewey! Dewey! Where could he have gone?" Huey pondered. He opened the door to his missing brother's bedroom and entered in hopes he would be around here somewhere.

"Dewey, if you're trying to scare me, I've come prepared!" He affirmed, grabbing a nearby pillow from the bed. He almost didn't notice the papers falling out and scattering on the floor by his feet.

"What the…," he whispered. He slowly bent down to pick all the papers up, and before he could place it all back, he glanced at one of the pictures in his hand that held an oddly familiar face.

"Mom?"

There's no denying in what Huey's seeing is not photoshopped or copied from anywhere. The paper itself looked too old, and felt too fragile and wrinkled to be fake. He also noticed how Scrooge and Donald are included in the photo. His mother and great uncle smiling from what looked like a celebration, and Donald having his usual temper tantrum, trying to rid of the honey all over his suit.

Despite not being alive at the time, the boy duck felt a hinge of nostalgia, feeling the cherished moment after a day's worth of hard work, and the rather literal sweet reward that came after it. Indeed, it felt as though he lived through this daring adventure.

Huey then remembers where he discovered this photo, and all the others before facing the pile of papers still laying in the floor. Of all places to find anything regarding Della Duck, he would never have expected it to be in his own brother's room, under his pillow. How did he even stumble across this? How does he know about all this? And most importantly, why hasn't he said anything to either of his brothers?

This not only confused the red-cladded duckling, but he felt many other emotions. Hurt, anger, betrayal, lost.

It doesn't hurt him because Dewey knows something he doesn't, which would normally be the case, as it's usually the other way around, but the fact that Dewey is keeping something that's immensely important to not one triplet, but to all three of them, all to himself.

Huey admits none of them have ever openly asked, or even talked about their mother. There were a few mentionings of her from Donald, but then interrupts himself and tries to move away from the sore subject entirely. Apparently, something terrible happened, and he's felt guilty about it ever since.

Deep down, Huey does want to know his mother, and where she's been throughout the years, and everything about her now lays in his hands.

It hurts because Dewey knows about this, and not once has he ever said a word about it. There was never any mentionings of Della Duck of any kind. It's obvious he didn't want anybody to know about it, but why?

Just as he was starting to theorize, there was a sudden plat of feet on the floor. The red-cladded duckling turned to find just the duck he was looking for, coincidentally.

"Huey! W-what are you doing here?! In my room?" Dewey asked, seeing an unexpected visitor in his own bedroom. He felt anxious as he kept moving forward.

For a moment, all Huey could do was give him a deadly glare, for the obvious reason.

The younger brother felt even smaller, and had no idea why he was receiving such hatred. That is, until he happened to glance down and saw what Huey was holding. The one thing he was supposed to keep secret was out in the open, and now, one of his brothers has cracked the case.

He looked at the papers with wide eyes, then back to his still angry brother, bewildered about either how he found it, or how he himself failed to put it on a more secure place.

The blue-cladded duckling began to break the tense, awkward silence by clearing his throat. "I… I-I was gonna tell you. I was gonna tell you guys about everything, I swear!"

"Then why didn't you?! Why didn't you tell me when you first found out about this?!" Huey furiously shouted, holding out the papers in the open.

"I wanted to find out about everything first. I didn't wanna tell you guys blindly. I didn't even know anything at that time!"

 ***xxx***

As Louie was walking in the huge hallway, looking for his brothers, he's let his mind go on a daze. Sometimes, when life decides to throw everything at you, he decided it was best to block everything out, and ignore everything and everyone in his surroundings. On some occasions, that was much easier said than done. His brothers know how he's like when he's trying to "play it cool," as he once said. Most of the time, in deadly situations, it fails, and he would be the one to panic the most.

Louie himself knows why he tries to act out on being cool, and masks his true emotions. He wouldn't hear the end of it if people found out he's just a scared little kid. He can't stand to be humiliated, especially in front of thousands of people.

He found it to be pretty beneficial that he always has a laid back attitude and a solid face he could rely on. Any minor thing, and he could just shrug it off his shoulders, and say "whatever." This usually worked, but the words people have impacted on him leave mental bruises, but he never shows it to anyone, not even his own family. It'll blow over in due time.

His dazing would've kept going if it weren't for the shouting match that's apparently happening in Dewey's room. The closer he reaches it, the louder it gets, and once he peeks in, his suspicions have been confirmed.

His older brothers were indeed arguing, as usual, but he has no idea what for, as everyone was acting fine earlier, despite Dewey's sudden disappearance. Huey was the one shouting louder, saying something about not telling someone while holding a couple pieces of paper, and it was aimed towards Dewey, who was getting defensive against Huey's offensive.

"She's our _mom_! We're _brothers_! We're supposed to be a team! We were supposed to work on everything together! How is this any different?" The red-cladded duckling argued, then turned away from his younger brother, not even noticing Louie walking up to him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Huey, I didn't mean to upset you, but-"

Huey quickly turned back, feeling quite offended about this remark. "Then why didn't you tell us about this?! How are we supposed to know anything if we're the ones being left in the dark?"

"What is this even about? Somebody please tell me!" Louie jumped in before somebody else had the chance to. If anyone here was completely left in the dark, it would be him, considering he only arrived not too long ago.

The oldest triplet gave himself a little time to calm his nerves before answering. He sighed in distress, "This whole thing is about how our own brother decided to keep something as important as our own mother a secret from us, and how he apparently thinks this is okay!" He exasperated, his tone getting louder as he was talking, but as far as he was concerned, he couldn't care less.

"I never said this is okay. I just didn't want you guys to get upset. I've kept this a secret to protect you guys from what could, or would, hurt you!" Dewey shouted.

"Well good job on that, Mister Thinks He Should Know Everything And Not Anyone Else! You've earned a medal for your plan backfiring!" Louie quipped as he crossed his arms in great disapproval.

"If you're gonna 'protect' us, then at least consider how we would feel about this. We have every right to know our mom as much as you do. Heck, for all we know, she could be dead, and we wouldn't even have any kind of information about it, because _somebody_ thought we wouldn't get upset if we didn't know."

"I'm sorry, okay?! I made a mistake and caused us trouble!" Dewey exclaimed defensively.

"Oh, you're right about that," Louie retorted, sending his blue-cladded brother an angry glare. "Huey's right, too. There could be a chance that our mom is dead, and all you could think about is how you're gonna get rich and famous because Dewey Duck, a poor, broke duck, unveiled one of the greatest secrets to all of Duckberg." He then pointed an accusing finger Dewey's way for the next remark. "Then when that day comes, you'll just pack your bags and say goodbye to your family, and leave them for dead! You'd abandon us because we'd be burdening you, _just like what mom did_!"

After that huge echo, tense silence was what followed. Everyone was staring, Huey and Louie sending glares to their brother. A glare that could kill in an instant. They have felt many things about their brother, but disappointment was a new one altogether. Not once in their life would they have ever come across to feeling disappointment in one another. However, as this new revelation was uncovered, there was nothing else to say, nothing else to do, nothing else to feel. Such disappointment because they've shared almost everything together, big or small. They're all aware of each others' nervous ticks, and of how they've been mysterious with their own personal secrets, but a secret that was so small and minor. It came as a surprise that Dewey has kept something incredibly important and sacred out of his brothers' reach. How could Huey and Louie have known that Dewey's been keeping this under wraps for so long, and still sound like himself, and be so discreet about it all?

The middle triplet could hardly find words to say after hearing what his younger brother had just implied. He could only stand still as a statue with wide eyes, having no idea how to feel. He has known Louie to be a little inconsiderate about his words, and how he hardly ever actually means it, but for him to imply that Dewey himself would leave his brothers and uncle out in the streets, or even leave them for dead, if he were to ever get 'rich and famous,' had left a great impact on him emotionally. He feels guilty because not only were his brothers obviously upset with him, but because of what he's done, this is how he's now viewed as. A greedy, discreet, selfish, heartless, dare he say it, asshole.

Because of a mistake that's been done. Because of a mistake _he's_ done, their relationship may never be the same again. This has now entered his mind, even as he began to step back away from his still angry brothers, with the oncoming tears welling up that he refuses to let out. Seeing as how he's the one to blame, he decided it was best to leave his room, and out of his brothers' sights, still holding back his tears, and his cries he doesn't deserve to let out.

"Fine! Go! See if I care!" The youngest triplet exclaimed, letting out a low grunt as he was taking his leave, but going the opposite direction his blue-cladded brother had gone.

 ***xxx***

Since he didn't really want to see anyone, and he didn't want to have to answer the door to his room, Dewey had taken it upon himself to sit out in the abnormally huge garden, which he will admit he didn't know about ever since he, his brothers, and Donald had moved in.

It's been almost a week since Huey and Louie have found out what he was hiding behind their backs. Ever since then, not one word was exchanged between them. Huey tried not to even look at him, and any time he did, he could only send a hateful glare.

Louie barely got out of his room, like he was trying to avoid being in the same room with Dewey. Since the falling out, Dewey's only seen him once, and that was only a brief amount of time.

The blue-cladded duckling sat near one of the many blossoming flowers, with his knees up to his chest, and although they were beautiful to smell and see, his mind was elsewhere. More so about the event that happened before everyone had gone to see the infamous golden puppy on the other side of the world the other day. About the secret he harbored, so his brothers wouldn't be upset if there was anything bad they found out about. At first, before Huey and Louie unveiled this secret, every information he and Webby had taken in since they discovered the secret room had been very overwhelming. He knew it would be a lot to take in, given how little he knows about his mother, but he was still willing to protect his brothers from what could've been the horrible truth. He didn't keep everything a secret to be selfish and have fame and riches, if that were to ever happen. He kept it a secret so if their mother, Della Duck, was indeed a terrible person, completely different than how they interpreted her, then Huey and Louie wouldn't have to know, or worry, about it. He'd rather see his brothers happy and innocent from the whole fiasco than to have them spend the rest of their lives in turmoil and wondering _why_ she left them and Donald in the first place.

He realizes now, that it was a mistake, because his brothers are still upset, or even disappointed, in him for not acknowledging how they felt, or whether they wanted to be involved. He never considered how they would've felt _after_ the big discovery, after he revealed it to them personally. No. He was only worried about them not knowing about anything until _he_ decided it was okay to reveal the truth.

Now has he realized that it was his fault, and he doesn't know whether Huey or Louie will ever forgive him, not that he deserved their forgiveness anyways.

Dewey heard small platting noises, but he isn't too worried about who it was at the moment, still too upset about what he's done to care.

The small figure walked over to the boy duck, and sat next to him. "Dewey! What are you doing out here? Have you come to find some hidden treasures? I will admit, they are pretty hard to find. I've been looking for the lost magical ring for almost a week! I'm still working on it."

"Oh. Hey, Webby," the boy duck greeted, not even turning around to face her.

"What's the matter? Are you upset we couldn't take the golden puppy with us too? It was too adorable to be left behind like that," the girl duck sympathized, feeling guilty that they couldn't rescue what could've been their new pet.

Dewey sighed remorsefully, "No, it's not that. I mean, yeah, that was bad, but it's something else."

"Like what?"

"My brothers. They know everything. They know about our secret, and they know about mom," he replied.

"Really? Did you tell them, or did they find out on their own?"

"Huey was the first to find out. He found the papers on my bed, and… he wasn't too happy about it. After that, he wouldn't even look me in the eye." He then buried the lower half of his head in his arms.

"And I take it Louie's been in his room since then, huh."

The boy duck only nodded in confirmation.

"Well, I'm sure things will work out somehow. You guys can't stay mad at each other forever, right?" Webby assured. Seeing as how their relationship is, she's confident they'll move past their mistakes, and forgive each other. They've done so countless times, as far as she knows.

"I don't know if they'll ever forgive me, and I know they're upset at me for what I did, but I don't think they understand that I did it to protect them, and not being the burden to them. Webby, what if..." He knows he's been thinking of this, but has never considered outright saying it out loud. He turns to face her with immense worry. "What if they never trust me again?"

Seeing how deeply upset her friend is, Webby placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and tried to make him feel better. "Oh, Dewey. That'll never happen-"

"How do you know that? How do you know that everything will blow over, and we'll all pretend none of this has ever happened?! Not everything works that way, Webby!" Dewey exclaimed. While Webby has good intentions, he knows it's not all going to work out in an instant. Nobody could forgive each other that quick, especially when it's for something so huge. If Huey or Louie were to ever forgive him at all, it may be a very long process before the chapter's closed. The problem is this: Huey and Louie may never forgive him at all, and that's something the middle triplet is going to have to live with.

Dewey buried his head back in his arms, feeling incredibly alone for the first time, despite Webby being there for him. He feels alone because while Webby is an only child on her family, he's left in the dark, his brothers leaving him all alone, and now, he has no idea what to do. He can't just go up and apologize like everything will be back to normal. His brothers are still going to be mad at him for what he's done, which leads him to an epiphany. Not only will his brothers never forgive him, but what if something worse happens? "Who am I kidding? They'll never forgive me," he stated. "If anything, Huey and Louie will end up keeping secrets from me, just like what I did to them. And we'll all make our own big secrets, and we'll never be brothers again."

It made Webby distraught to see her best friend feel so down, and blaming himself for trying to do what he thought was right. She would've told them she was involved in it herself, but she didn't want Dewey to feel any worse than he already is. She's aware no one's entirely at fault. She understands why Dewey told her, when they first found the secret room, that they couldn't tell anyone about Della, until they knew exactly what it all meant. She agreed to keep it all a secret, so there wouldn't be any mental breakdowns or turmoils between the boys. Della duck is their mother. She's left them for an unknown reason, and of course, the girl duck would understand how Huey and Louie would feel, knowing they were left under their uncle's wing.

She is, in a way, in the similar shoes. Webby herself was left by her own parents, and in her grandmother's care. Not once has her parents ever been brought up by anyone. Not Scrooge, not Duckworth when he was alive, not even Beakley. She doesn't know whether they're alive or dead.

So when she says she understands what they're going through, she truly understands, and she means it with all her heart.

Drawing her attention back to the emotionally torn boy duck sitting next to her, and while she doesn't have any siblings herself, she knows he's going to need some encouraging words to let him know what he had implied earlier was not going to happen. She places her hand back on his arm, and tells him what he needs to know. "That's not true."

Not fully understanding her statement, Dewey sits his head back up in confusion. "What?"

"All that stuff you said about you guys not being brothers again. That's not true. I know for a fact you and your brothers will find a way to get back together again. Sure, it's gonna take some time, but I'm confident you'll understand your differences, and learn to move on from the past.

"Besides, I've seen what you guys can do together. You're so close, and you don't know what to do without each other. I mean, you may be your own duck, but you three have the strongest relationship I know! You can do so many things together. There's no reason to stop that." She concluded with a warm smile, letting her friend know she meant every word.

After hearing those sweet, heartfelt, and encouraging words, Dewey couldn't help but smile himself. Webby always knew how to make people feel better, whether it was from the words she uses, or her energetic and confident attitude to put positivity in others.

And hearing about how the girl duck sees the triplets as a whole, Dewey felt a strong sense of confidence and determination return. What she said was true, after all. There was never a time where the boys never spoke to each other at all. There were times where they've had a falling out, but have been able to move past it within a day or two. This may be one of those falling outs where it'll be a long healing process, emotionally. … The first long-time falling out at that. He knows now that Huey and Louie still love him, despite everything he's done, and nothing will ever change that, even long-kept secrets that could potentially tear a family apart. No matter the obstacle, Huey, Dewey, and Louie will face it together.

Which then leads to another epiphany. He finally understands why Huey and Louie felt the way they felt. Dewey may have been protecting them from what could be a horrible truth, but how is Dewey protecting himself? Huey and Louie didn't care about what horrible information lies ahead. They wanted to be a part of it as much as he did. Huey was right. Della Duck is their mom, not just Dewey's, so they should all know whether Della is dead or alive, and they should all know the reasons why she left them all, good or bad.

At this, they both stood up, Dewey with a firm resolve. "You're right, Webby. Nothing will stand in our way, and we should all work on this together." He asserted.

He would've taken his leave by now, if he didn't feel like he had to pay his friend for all she's done.

The boy duck have Webby an appreciative hug, which she gladly returned. "Thank you, Webby," he murmured.

"No problem," she replied, then they both ended the brief embrace so Dewey could do what needs to be done.

"I sure hope they'll work everything out," she thought out loud, after seeing him take off. Then, she continued to what she was doing before she ran into the blue-cladded duckling. "Now, to find that ring…"

 ***xxx***

As soon as Dewey entered the hallway, he knew he had to look for both boys, and mend the relationship that's been torn by himself. He feels it's his responsibility to make up for what he's done, and like Webby said, learn to accept what's happened and move on.

He checked one of the many bedrooms for either of his brothers, only to find at least one of them locked, and the rest vacant, which meant Louie was still locked in his room.

Unfortunately, Dewey was unable to enter, or even get a word from the other side. He's knocked, and even banged on the door, calling out his name to at least get some kind of response, but no luck.

"Louie! Please open up! Listen, I know you're upset, but-"

 _"Go away!"_ The youngest triplet finally responded, making himself clear he wanted nothing to do with his brother.

The blue-cladded duckling sighed in defeat, accepting that right now, Louie wishes to be alone, but then remembers he has another brother he still needs to talk to. So with that in mind, he walked away from the closed door to continue his search.

The search itself hadn't taken long at all, for not long after leaving Louie's room, and as soon as he's entered the main room, where the main entrance is, Huey was found sitting on the bottom of the stairs, with his head bowed down, clearly in distress.

Which was the perfect opportunity to fix what he has broken.

To start off with, Dewey slowly descends down the stairs to join his brother, but instead of apologizing right away, they both sat in silence.

It was a another round of tense, awkward silence. So much negativity flowing from one another. The anger, the hate, the betrayal, the anxiety of what'll happen in the near and far future. No one knows that will happen, and no one can really do anything to avoid the inevitable. The most that can be done is alternate their decisions, so the outcome may not be as terrible.

Such example being the future of the Duck triplets. They couldn't predict what would crash their strong relationship, and they can't predict what will happen next. Will they brush everything aside and move on? Will everyone be forgiven for their mistakes? Or will the terrible events be a constant reminder of the poor decisions they've made, and will be what tears the family and friendship apart?

So many questions remain in the air, and only so many can be answered at one time.

The only way to find out for sure whether Huey will forgive or not is to admit the mistakes the middle triplet has made. To finally speak to each other for the first time in almost a week.

"Huey…" Dewey paused, trying to find the right words to say without hurting or upsetting his older brother. "I understand why you're upset, and you have every right to be… but I didn't want you guys to be burdened, and hurt, by what mom has done… If she was a horrible person."

He turned to face the red-cladded duckling, waiting for him to say something, but silence was what followed.

"And if this was true, I wanted to find out _why_ she left us. I didn't want you guys to know that she left because of _us_. You don't deserve to be blamed for all this, and neither does Louie. _That's_ why I never told you about everything." He sighed. "I just don't want you to be guilty for something you've never done." He softly claimed, refusing to imagine what life would be like if all three of them took the blame for their mother's disappearance.

As Dewey was making this confession, Huey's expression softened. He realizes now his brother never kept everything to himself to be selfish and greedy. He was trying to protect them from finding out what could've been their fault. He didn't want them to know the reasons Della could've left was because of her sons. They know from Donald that she was crazy about adventuring, and didn't want anything to get in her way of that. Finding out she left her sons for that reason would be a lot to take in for one person, and a child at that, and the impact left on them could be damaging.

But after hearing his younger brother was the one going through all this also made him feel guilty, because Dewey couldn't share anything in fears of what would happen to Huey and Louie. He didn't want them to take the blame for everything that obviously wasn't their fault. He felt if he kept everything to himself, then they could continue living their lives as if nothing was wrong at all.

But something is wrong, and it was clear as day.

Huey has known Dewey to be very considerate of others, even when they've done wrong. He couldn't entirely blame his younger brother for only doing what he thought was right. There was never a moment where the blue-cladded duckling rejected anyone of forgiveness and second chances, especially not those close to him. He truly felt that'll someone was in desperate trouble, no matter who they were, he would surely help save them. However, Dewey knows his enemies, and while they still try to rob their great uncle, that doesn't mean he wouldn't fight along Scrooge, and get them off their backs.

When the enemy is in a deadly situation, such as being thrown off a cliff, that was the time Dewey throws differences aside, and urges his brothers to save them.

The oldest triplet remembers that day like none other. The day Mark Beaks, the now billionaire both he and his younger brother despised, had completely faked everything. His hostage, his business, even the main "project," which turned out to be literally nothing. He had deceived everyone into thinking he had a big project going underway, and had made millions, and _billions_. When he was threatened by his employee, who he hired to "steal" his own project, Huey didn't feel the need to save him for all he's done. For lying to everyone, and betraying his trust, he didn't see any reason a traitor like Mark Beaks should be saved, and he especially didn't see any reason why _he_ should have to go through all the trouble for someone who crushed him completely.

Dewey, in the other hand, didn't care about how bad the businessman was. When he was in danger, he knew he needed to be saved because he believed that no matter how horrible anyone was, they shouldn't have to fall to their deaths. It didn't matter whether he broke their trust or not, he was a person, like everyone else, and morally speaking, it wasn't right to stand on the sidelines and see the enemy in their impending doom. Because he believed this, Dewey had urged his older brother to think of a plan to save Mark, and put everything aside just this once. While it did take some confrontation, Huey had finally agreed to this, and to save him, if not for the businessman himself, then for his brother.

So after hearing he kept information about Della Duck a secret, Huey realizes he should've known his younger brother was only trying to protect them from something that could upset them. It was Dewey, he's very caring and considerate for the safety of his brothers, and he couldn't be blamed for just being Dewey. Although, that didn't mean he wasn't still upset with him for keeping important information to himself.

The red-cladded duckling looked over in Dewey's direction, and saw how distraught he looked. With everything his brother told him, he gathered his bearings, and finally spoke to him for the first time, in a long time.

"I…," he paused, trying to form the right words to say. "... You kept everything to yourself just to protect us?" He waited for any answer, and had almost immediately gotten one as the middle triplet slowly nodded. "You didn't have to do that. We don't need to be protected. I mean, we can protect ourselves, and we all know how Uncle Donald is, so you don't have to worry about us. If anything, I should be the one looking after you. I know this sounds silly, but I'm your older brother-"

"By three seconds," Dewey said, showing a deadpan expression from hearing Huey state this countless times.

"Which still makes me the oldest triplet." The red-cladded duckling firmly stated. "But right now, what matters is the fact that you've kept everything bottled up inside, and have never been able to share this kind of information with anyone, not even me!"

This caused the middle triplet to look away guiltily, knowing very well that someone else is involved, but as far as he's concerned, Huey doesn't need to know, lest there be more turmoil.

"Dewey, what I'm trying to say is… is that I'm not telling you this to be nosy. I just wanna help, and as far as I'm concerned, Louie and I have every right to know what's happened to our mom as much as you do. I can't help you if I don't know what's going on. And like I've said earlier, were _brothers_. We _need_ to be able to trust each other, and to share this burden if we don't want anything bad to happen."

Dewey couldn't help but show his genuine smile after hearing his brother's claim. No matter what came in their way, there was nothing that can take them down, and Huey had made that clear.

" _But_ … what you did still hurt us, and I can't just forgive you right away. I know why you did what you did, but it still left marks on us, and that mark is gonna take a while to heal." Huey bowed his head down and placed his hands on his lap, intertwining his fingers. "I don't know how long it'll be before I start forgiving you for what you've done. Days, weeks, maybe even months. It's not gonna be an overnight thing, but…" He faced his brother again for what he was going to say next, showing a heartfelt smile to let him know he means it. "I appreciate you telling me anyway."

"So, does that mean we're cool now? Aside from that thing you just said. About marks and healing…" Dewey said, eager to close the chapter and finally mend the relationship.

"Hmmm… Yeah, we're cool now," the oldest triplet said, knowing now that despite the fresh wounds that still needed stitches, things may be okay between them.

With this finally resolved, Dewey stood up, prepared to take his leave. "Thanks, Huey. I'll do what I can to make up for what I've done." With that said, he took off to look for one more broken brother to fix.

The first place he checked was the bedroom Louie was locked in earlier, as that was the last place he knew he was in. However, upon seeing the door now wide open, and after seeing the youngest triplet no longer inside, Dewey knows now he must be elsewhere.

But the problem was _where_ did he run off to?

He had to do _more_ searching, which exasperated the boy duck. The mansion was that, a mansion, a larger-than-average house, and running from room to room was already tiring enough.

And to his relief, he may not have to do that, as in the other side of the hallway, he sees his great uncle walking in his direction, cane in hand, as usual.

"Uncle Scrooge!" Dewey called out, running to the rich duck.

Upon hearing his name from one of his nephews, Scrooge stopped to see Dewey coming his way. "What is it, lad?"

"Have you seen Louie anywhere? There's something I need to tell him," he said, hoping with hope that he's at least seen him run off.

"Oh, I've seen 'i'm alright. He ran over to the telly room earlier." Scrooge frowned on concern over the green-cladded duckling. "The poor lad looked like he was going to break his own water faucets. He seemed very upset about something." The rich duck began to walk off, still feeling a bit worried. "But I thought I'd leave 'i'm alone, and let everything sort out on its own."

When he heard Louie was upset about something, Dewey knew exactly what that something was. Again, he felt responsible for how his brothers were feeling that day, and how it harmed them emotionally. He knew though, that he had to do something to make it up, to fix everything.

So he ran back to the main hallway, this time not seeing Huey sitting on the stairs, and went to the TV room, like Scrooge had said. As soon as he opened the door, however, he couldn't help but feel great sorrow for his little brother.

Everything was dark, the only thing giving out any kind of light was the television itself, the room was trashier than usual, and on the couch was none other than Louie, with his hood up to block any outside surroundings, and with his knees up to his chest.

The green-cladded duckling must've not noticed his older brother sitting on the couch next to him, his gaze focusing on the television, or in something completely different.

There was no other way to describe the condition Louie was in at this moment. He looked awful. His eyes were baggy and red, almost as if he's been doing nothing but crying for the past several days, he looked too exhausted to even focus on what's happening in what appeared to be Ottoman Empire, and his hoodie looked too filthy for Dewey's liking, though the youngest triplet apparently doesn't care at all.

Dewey couldn't help but feel bad for him. If he were in his shoes, he would likely feel the same way. But he wasn't, and it's high time he did something about it.

"Louie, I just wanna say… I'm sorry for how you're feeling, and I know you wanted to know mom as much as I do, but I only did what I did to protect you guys from what could've… hurt you, and I don't want you guys to blame yourselves over something that wasn't your fault." Dewey placed a caring hand on his brother's shoulder, and to his surprise, he wasn't rejected or pushed away. "I'm not gonna ask you to forgive me, but I just want you to know that I would never do anything to hurt or upset you, or Huey, on purpose."

Louie never got up to walk away, nor did he tell his brother to leave him alone. All he did was sit still, and listen to what the middle triplet had to say, and as he was explaining himself, tears were once again, welling in his eyes, which was what he didn't want to happen again, especially not in front of his brother. He didn't want to have to cry, and let everyone see his vulnerability, no matter how many times he's cried over something big or small in his entire life, so he buried his head in his arms to avoid letting Dewey see him so broken.

Little did Dewey know, Louie was upset for more reasons than one. Not only was he distraught about the blue-cladded duckling keeping everything to himself, he was also upset about their own mother leaving them behind for unknown reasons. He was upset because if Dewey _did_ get rich and famous for uncovering the secrets of Della Duck, what if he left everyone he knew behind? What if history repeated itself because Dewey didn't want anyone in _his_ way of adventures? He wouldn't really know what to do if his older brother was gone, dead or alive. Because Dewey was more adventurous than him or Huey, again, what if history repeated itself?

This led to the heartbreaking emotion he's feeling now. This was a dead-on reminder of the fact that his mother practically abandoned her family for reasons no one know about. The possibility that she left because she didn't want anything to do with her children has gotten the youngest triplet in tears countless times over the past week alone. He really missed the motherly bond that he felt he never got to experience, and knows he never will. It's not just that Dewey might be the next rich duck, he doesn't want to be abandoned by his family anymore. He especially didn't want to be abandoned by anyone at all. He wouldn't know what to do if he was completely alone in the real world.

Completely left alone, with no one to care and look after him.

Perhaps he might not be alone as he thought, because of the realization that his brother _does_ care about him occurred as he felt a pair of arms wrap around him, protecting him in the warm embrace from the cold, scary, and dangerous things out in the real world. With this alone, he felt he could no longer hold it in. The most of what he could do was let out the emotions and tears he's been holding in since his brother walked in the room and confessed himself, since this whole thing started even. He cried for the pain he had to endure for the past week. He cried for the family that could've possibly no longer existed if this tension remained any longer. And finally, he cried for his brothers. He loves them deeply, regardless of what they've done to each other.

"Hey, it's okay," Dewey reassured, rubbing gentle circles on his younger brother's back, completely unaware of the true reason for the tears.

While he knows he might not be able to say anything while sobbing, as it'll more likely come out incoherent, Louie did what he could to gather his bearings, and tell his older brother what's been on his mind. "What if…" He sniffed. "What if mom was a bad person?"

A sense of deja vu had struck the middle triplet, because he's had the same thought before. Although in a different situation entirely, Dewey can completely understand where he's going with this.

"What if she left us because she hated us?... Or worse? Why else would she leave us and Uncle Donald, and never once came back?" Before he started crying again, he had to make this next statement clear, so the middle triplet would know the true reason for his grief. "Dewey,... I don't wanna be left behind again. I don't wanna be alone."

With that stated, the waterworks have turned on again, leaving Dewey feeling great sympathy, and great sorrow for the boy duck he's currently embracing. He had no idea this was the reason for Louie's great, and utter sadness. The feeling of abandonment and loneliness was what was tearing him apart. It wasn't as much as Dewey keeping everything to himself as it was the possibility that Dewey, like their mother, would leave them for the sake of following his dreams.

"Louie… I… I would _never_ do that to you. To anyone at all really." The middle triplet began. "I know how much we need each other, and how lost we'd be without one another. You guys are my brothers. I'd never leave you like that. And about mom, instead of wondering 'what if,' we can all find out the real reason why she's not around. We can work together on this." He then pulls Louie in a slightly tighter hug. "All three of us. And no matter what happens, well face it together." Before he decided to finish, he had to include one last thing. "And no more secrets between us. Not about mom. If we work on this, we need to trust each other again. I promise, Louie, nothing's gonna stop us."

As Dewey was assuring him nothing bad will happen, Louie slowly stopped crying, until all that was left were sniffles, and some tears running down his face. What his older brother had said about him not ever leaving them, and being a team, had made him so much better than he has been all week. Not only will things be okay between them, but the boys will always be there for each other, for good times, and bad. For better or worse. No secrets containing Della will be kept from one another, and no more lies will be told.

Huey, Dewey, and Louie Duck will stick together, become the inseparable trio, and solve the mysteries of their mother. No matter what obstacles come their way, nothing will stop them, and tear them apart. There will come some rough patches, but they'll get past it nonetheless. Along with their family, they'll be solving mysteries, and rewriting history.

 ** _*The End*_**


End file.
